The issuance of an environmental permit for the 424km Bulgarian section of the Nabucco gas pipeline has been completed.

According to a media statement of Nabucco consortium, Bulgaria is the second Nabucco country after Hungary to complete the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) permitting process.

Reinhard Mitshcek, CEO of Nabucco Gas Pipeline International, defined the finalization of the EIA procedure for the Bulgarian section as an important step towards the implementation of the gas pipeline project.

"The completion of the EIA process in Bulgaria is another milestone for the project and further demonstrates the advanced stage of technical development of Nabucco. Bulgaria is now the second country to approve the implementation of Nabucco on its territory, demonstrating that the project is fully in line with the highest international and national regulations and standards," Mitschek is quoted as saying.

"Nabucco will continue working with the Bulgarian authorities in the course of the forthcoming processes connected with obtaining the other permits necessary for the implementation of the project - the DZP (detailed zoning plan - parcel plan) approval and the issuance of the construction permit," the Nabucco consortium says in the statement.

The company also informs that the EIA report was prepared and submitted to Bulgaria's Ministry of Environment and Water on 31 October 2012, the positive statement on the report was issued on December 17, 2012, while the public hearings in the affected 30+ municipalities took place on February 5-25.

The current shareholders in the Nabucco pipeline project are the Bulgarian Energy Holding, Austria's OMV, Turkey's Botas, Romania's Transgaz and Hungary's FGSZ, a subsidiary of MOL.